Other law firms aren't your competition

Obviously, buying a pair of trainers isn't the same as purchasing a business, navigating a divorce or settling an estate. Legal advice is complex, highly regulated and often delivered at some of the most significant moments in a person's life. But that's not what clients are comparing. They're comparing the experience.

Think about the last time you ordered something from Amazon. Within seconds you knew your order had been received. You could track every stage of its journey, received proactive updates without having to ask and knew exactly what would happen next.

Or consider Monzo, my latest 'best ever' discovery. Every transaction appears instantly, funds can be claimed early, you can see exactly where your money has gone, receive notifications in real time and manage your finances with complete transparency. Plus you can view all of your other accounts within the app, even if they're not held with Monzo - utter game-changer.

When you book an Airbnb, you're guided through every step of the journey. Expectations are clearly set, communication is simple and you never feel unsure about what happens next. The 'Superhost' and 'Guest Favourite' badges work together to provide powerful social proof and build instant trust, acting as crucial signals that overcome user uncertainty.

Even paying for services has evolved. Whether it's booking a holiday, buying furniture or investing in new technology, consumers increasingly expect flexible payment options through providers such as Klarna or Clearpay. Payment is no longer treated as an administrative process; it's part of the overall customer experience.

Now compare those experiences with many legal services.

Clients often wait days for acknowledgement of an enquiry. They aren't always sure where their matter has reached. Updates can feel reactive rather than proactive. Costs may only become clear as a matter progresses, and billing frequently reflects processes designed around the firm rather than the client.

None of this reflects the quality of the legal advice being delivered. Our profession is built on expertise, judgement and trust. But expertise alone no longer defines a great client experience. The reality is that every interaction a client has outside the legal sector influences what they expect when they instruct a solicitor. Those expectations don't disappear simply because they've entered a regulated profession. That's why I believe we need to challenge ourselves to look beyond our own sector for inspiration.

For too long, we've benchmarked ourselves against other law firms. We compare our websites, client satisfaction scores, response times and rankings with organisations facing exactly the same legacy systems, regulatory pressures and operational challenges.

But what if we're looking in the wrong place?

Some of the most valuable lessons about client experience aren't being developed in legal services at all.

Retail has mastered convenience. Banking has transformed transparency. Hospitality has refined the art of communication and expectation management. Technology businesses obsess over reducing friction in every customer interaction. These industries invest millions analysing customer behaviour, identifying pain points and continuously refining every stage of the customer journey.

Rather than asking, "What are other law firms doing?", perhaps we should be asking, "Why do clients find it so effortless to deal with the organisations they use every day?"

This is where I think artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to change the conversation.

Much of the discussion around AI in legal services focuses on productivity—drafting documents faster, summarising case law or automating repetitive tasks. Those developments are important, but they largely benefit the firm.

I'm more interested in how AI can help us understand the client. Every enquiry, website visit, phone call, review, invoice, complaint and client survey generates data. Until recently, much of that information sat in separate systems, making it difficult to see the bigger picture. Today, AI gives us the ability to analyse those interactions at a scale and speed that simply wasn't possible before.

Instead of relying on assumptions, firms can begin to understand where clients lose confidence during onboarding, what communication patterns lead to higher satisfaction, why some matters generate repeat instructions while others do not, how billing influences client sentiment and which parts of the client journey create unnecessary friction.

That insight is incredibly powerful because it shifts the conversation away from opinion and towards evidence, and for a data-driven marketer like me, it's gold-dust.

It also opens the door to rethinking one of the most traditional aspects of legal services: billing. I've spoken about this previously and the resistance to even discuss it!

Consumers have become accustomed to payment experiences that are transparent, flexible and designed around their needs. While law firms quite rightly operate within strict regulatory and financial frameworks that make adopting models such as Klarna far from straightforward, that shouldn't stop us asking better questions. Could AI help forecast costs more accurately? Could clients have greater visibility of fees throughout a matter? Could firms identify, through data, where different payment options or more proactive communication might reduce bill shock, reduce conflict and improve the overall experience?

Those are client experience questions, not simply finance questions.

Ultimately, I believe the greatest competitive advantage will belong to the firms that use AI to understand their clients better than anyone else.